Roster And Draft Class Breakdown: Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a team without direction. They are stuck in another bad patch and are starting over yet again with another new coach and GM. Stop me if you’ve heard that before. The NFC North isn’t getting easier to win. Can the Bears do something good? Can Justin Fields get in the next gear? Let’s break it all down.
Offense
Justin Fields is more confident in year two. Now he is the full season starter. Fields made a name for himself at Ohio State with his unique blend of speed and arm talent. It’s time to cut that loose. David Montgomery is overrated. If he can find some consistency, he can get out of that category. Trestan Ebner was a sixth round pick from Baylor. He was a returner for the Bears and scored four times that way. Ebner has 4.48 speed. He runs routes like a receiver and catches the ball naturally. This is a James White type player.
The receiving core has one thing in common - dynamic speed. But there also on the smaller side. Darnell Mooney has become WR1. Byron Pringle comes over from KC to be WR2. Velus Jones Jr is a third round pick from Tennessee. Guess what? He’s fast too. He runs a 4.31 40. He averaged 132.5 all purpose yards and was arguably the best returner in college, according to ESPN. Cole Kmet as a tight end needs to get in the end zone more. He was two touchdowns as he enters his third year, and both came in rookie year. Khari Blasingame is the fullback,
The offensive line is a good mix of young and old. Tevin Jenkins, Cody Whithair, Lucas Patrick, and Willie Right, and Larry Borom are the protection. Three linemen were drafted and none of them have any chance to start right away. Fifth round tackle Zachary Thomas from San Diego State, sixth round center Doug Kramer from Illinois, seventh round tackle (listed as a guard) Ja’Tyre Carter from Southern, and fifth round round tackle Braxton Jones from Southern Utah are all third and fourth string on the depth chart.
Defense
The Bears are going with the 4-3. Al-Quadin Mohammad, Khyiris Tonga, Justin Jones, and and Robert Quinn will try to break the walls down. With the trading of Khalil Mack to the Chargers, there are some new faces rushing the passer. Nicholas Morrow and Matthew Adams are not used to this role. Adams has been in the league since 2018 and hasn’t posted a single sack. Morrow is in his sixth season and only has four total. This could be trouble. Lucily, Roquan Smith is in the middle of it all. Edge rusher Dominique Robinson was drafted in the fifth round from Miami Ohio. The former high school quarterback and college receiver needs some work.
The secondary looks intriguing and could be really fun to watch when these young guys get going. Chicago’s first pick was corner Kyler Gordon from Washington in the second round. He should start across from Jaylon Johnson Gordon can play inside and outside. Their defense was among the worst when it came to causing turnovers. The Bears also drafted a safety who should start right away, another second round pick in Jaquan Brisker from Penn State. He was the best strong safety in the draft who can play in the box or in the slot, not to mention is an extension of the defensive coordinator on the field. He’ll be paired with Eddie Jackson who becomes the leader of that group. New head coach Matt Eberflus had four top ten defenses in causing turnovers with the Colts, so that is now the focus for the Bears. That’s partly why Elijah Hicks in the seventh round from Cal. He transitioned from corner to safety and had 72 tackles, three picks, and four forced fumbles. He is right behind Eddie Jackson and will get opportunities and different subpackages. To round out the draft picks, punter Trenton Gil was picked up in the seventh round from NC State.
Draft Misses
Okay. . . . what in the name of the football gods are the Bears thinking at outside linebacker? You have no proven names on the roster and then draft somebody new at the position? This doesn’t make any sense. The Bears need to swing a trade for somebody. One name to throw out it is K’Lavon Chaisson with the Jaguars who won’t have as many chances with a number one overall pick playing his position. He only has two sacks with the Jags after being a first round pick, but maybe it’s just not a good fit for him. Finding a way to draft David Ojabo despite the injury could have really helped them, but he is now on the Ravens. Von Miller was out there for a little bit, just saying. Receiver depth and size could have been addressed a bit more. Finally, I would have liked to see a big power back picked up somewhere along the way like Brain Robinson (who got drafted by Washington), and some more help with the tight end depth.
Projection As Of Right Now
This is one of those situations where the future should be good. The present not so much. At best, the Bears could have an average team this year which would be a step in the right direction. The north is a toss up besides Green Bay winning it, but Chicago will probably be in the lower middle of the pack. If Justin Fields plays out of this world, we’ll see what happens.